There are conventionally sites that provide a service to keep digital image data that a user has acquired using a digital camera or scanner on a storage area of a server on a network and allow the user to browse the image data as needed. There are also service sites that provide a service to archive user's digital image data and make it open to a third party desired by the user. Such providers that provide network services using user's digital image data will be referred to as photo sites hereinafter. Some of these photo sites provide print services of the digital image data.
Along with the establishment of Internet environment, particularly, penetration of high-speed lines into ordinary homes, and popularization of high-image-quality digital cameras, the file sizes of images uploaded to photo sites are abruptly increasing. For this reason, to archive all user images for a long time, the capacity of an image database prepared in a photo site becomes enormous as the service period becomes long. The system operation cost to add disks increases the burden on the service operator. The archived images include a number of already unnecessary images. Actually it is not always necessary to store all images for a predetermined period or more. However, the images cannot be deleted at random, and it is difficult to take any measures. To suppress the operation cost, the system operator of a photo site imposes predetermined restrictions on service users in advance to prevent image files in a predetermined amount or more from being uploaded.
On the other hand, the larger the number of print orders becomes, the larger the file sizes of image data to be uploaded increase. If the system operator inhibits upload of image files in a predetermined amount or more to reduce the operation cost, a user who wants to place a number of print orders must upload images until the file size reaches the upper limit of the allowable image upload amount. After the print orders are placed, the user must temporarily delete the uploaded images and then repeatedly upload new images and place print orders. This makes the photo site inconvenient.
Such a user is an important user who greatly contributes to the profit of the service operator. To promote use of the photo site, a service that provides privileges corresponding to the service use amount is necessary.